Now that Black Panther II is settled on a release date (May 6, 2022), it is time for me to sit back and watch all the theories about how the next deep dive into Wakanda will happen, and the principal players that will be involved to push the overall narrative forward within the MCU.
Now, if you recall, there was an overall theme (that I technically didn’t agree with, but I digress) where Killmonger made it clear that Wakanda should take a more radical approach to cleaning up the rest of the known civilized world, while T’Challa felt that there was another way to have Wakanda assist within the current landscape.
I’m not trying to rehash that argument, that’s for other folks to deal with, but in opening up the Wakandan borders at the end of Black Panther and making it a more prominent ideal in Infinity War, it also might have opened up other madness that might have ramifications down the line.
However, for this creative mind, there are things that I would like to see happen inside the next installment, both to keep things interesting and to set up for Black Panther III:
I want to see if Namor is included into the story arc as the next villain that T’Challa has to contend with and ultimately defeat. Given the throwaway line from Okoye in Endgame, it could mean that the Sub-Mariner is making his presence known.
I want to see the introduction of Ororo Munroe, the Omega-level mutant known as Storm, introduced properly into the MCU through Wakanda and Black Panther II. I don’t care anything about this supposed romance between T’Challa and Nakia in the first installment; as far as I’m concerned, they had no choice because the X-Men franchise had not been safely back in the capable hands of Marvel Studios by the time of filming, so I gave that minor fling between them a pass. We all KNOW that T’Challa and Storm belong together, and those of us who are loyal to the true Queen of Wakanda would love to see this happen.
Speaking of Nakia…I hate to put her to sleep, but with the possible return of Storm in T’Challa’s life, that makes her expendable. One of two things could happen to her in this instance: she could turn villain herself (which would follow the comic book canon) because of his infatuation with Storm, or she could be sacrificed to Namor, which would give T’Challa the emotional fuel he needs to destroy his nemesis before Namor tries to flood Wakanda in an expansion move to add it to his own kingdom (also following comic book canon).
If we were to go in on the second angle, which would remove the love triangle BS that I’m sure would begin a whole #TeamOroro vs #TeamNakia situation (God, I know I don’t want that in my life…noooooooo), then it would place the love at first sight possibility back on the table, which was how Storm and T’Challa found each other on that fateful day in Cairo when they were younger. (You’ll have to look in the comics for their beginnings…not saying that I’m a romantic or anything, but that was an intense meeting).
And then there’s the US diplomacy angle, and Agent Ross…
He has seen everything for himself, and as CIA, he has to report what he has seen so that the rest of the DoD can figure out how to use Wakanda technology and its vibranium resources strictly for American interests. It puts Ross in a bad spot: loyalty to his country or loyalty to the man whose country’s technology saved his life? If there could be an art-imitates-life US Administration in place, its president might have the Defense Secretary try to sent Special Forces in to see what’s really going on.
But here’s the fun part: to have the cerebral acumen of T’Challa come to full fare is what I would like to see more than anything. In the comics, his intellect was rivaled only by Tony Stark (and even that was debatable), but despite that, he could commune with the previous Black Panthers—including his father—in case there was an angle that he might not have seen. In this new iteration arc, considering Killmonger could be brought to fore through being King and Black Panther for his short reign, he could actually be the reluctant assist that T’Challa might need to deal with Namor, the potential US incursion (since Killmonger was part of JSOC, he would have an idea of how to repel such an attack), and any other threat that might need to be dealt with, whether outside, or inside, of Wakanda. I mean, he might have found peace in death, as he would have been embraced by the previous Black Panthers and Kings as a true son of Wakanda. That might be motivation enough to possibly help the country that (yes, wrongly) left him behind instead of embracing him as one of their own.
Yeah, you can tell I’ve been putting in some late-night work, so to speak, huh? LOL
So, there are my thoughts on the many story arcs that Ryan Coogler could play with for Black Panther II and beyond. I trust wherever he takes the story, but I am available for being a part of the writing team (IJS…I am “native” Wakandan, dammit LOL)
I’ll see you soon, I’m still in the midst of writing myself into a frenzy with Lust, Love & Beautiful Liars, and I have a few other surprises in store, too, but I can’t say what those are just yet. But when I know, my Society will know, and then I’ll let the rest of y’all know.
Shakir